Priorities and Goals - 2012 Board Retreat

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors held a retreat on Monday and
Tuesday, Feb. 6-7. The two-day meeting, at the Workhouse Arts Center
in Lorton, was an opportunity for the Board to consider its
priorities and set a course of action for a sustainable future.

It was announced that no votes would be taken during the retreat,
and some issues may be discussed again at future venues.

Day 1 - Session 1 of 4: Priorities and Goals for Supervisory
Districts and Countywide

The Chairman and each of the Board members gave an overview of
issues in their districts and what they believe should be priorities
of the Board of Supervisors over the next four years.

Countywide, Chairman Sharon Bulova

Managing expectations and our budget as we emerge from very serious
recession. Recovery is going to be slow.

Keep County workforce and community to continue to be with us.

We have had exceptional relationship with workforce and public
– they were with us at the table during budget difficulties and
it’s important that they continue to be engaged.

Transportation.

Rail to Dulles – Number 1 transportation priority.

Community wants to see it finish at Dulles, not end at
Reston.

As HOT lanes are completed, we want to add express bus service
on those lanes.

Work with VDOT to extend HOT Lanes down I-95 so it compliments
Beltway HOT Lanes.

Affordable Housing.

Make sure housing is affordable and available to all of our
residents so they can live near where they work.

Energy and Environment.

Clean air and water issues.

Encourage innovation for energy that is clean, sustainable and
efficient for our businesses and residential communities.

Revitalization and Redevelopment.

Tysons and beyond - as retail and commercial areas age, our
future is in redevelopment and revitalization.

Explore how best we can continue to engage and empower our
residents, workforce and corporate neighbors. Some good
examples of past engagements include:

Mount Vernon District visioning exercises.

Reston Land Use College in Hunter Mill District.

Planning of Merrifield and Tysons.

Budget Community Dialogues.

Springfield District, Supervisor Pat Herrity

Focus in three areas – all related.

Cutting spending and homeowner taxes.

Making transportation a County priority.

Protecting our suburban neighborhoods.

Cutting spending and homeowner taxes.

Taxes doubled between 2000 and 2007, from $2,400 to $4,800.

We have held the line since 2008, but we can do better and be
smarter.

It is not just about reducing spending, it is also about
protecting and growing our commercial tax base.

Knowing the impact of our development decisions on the
commercial tax base.

Improving our processes and reduce regulation so we remain
open for business.

Further investing in the EDA.

Being prepared for the cutback in federal spending by
diversifying our business base – health care IT a big
opportunity.

Working to bring the FBI to Springfield.

Making transportation a County priority.

Making Transportation a County Priority.

Some successes.

I-66, Fairfax County Parkway, 495 Express Lanes, Rail Phase
I.

There are areas where we have missed the boat on
transportation.

Tysons when we passed the largest density increase in our
history without a transportation plan or a way to fund it.

There was a time when transportation was a priority in land use
and proffers.

Real transportation dollars and commitments for density
increases.

Today it is TDMs or promises not to drive, affordable
housing, green roofs.

Not much in the way of real proffers.

Times have changed, but our priorities should have changed
too.

Await info from staff.

TDM’s – auditor look at promises not to drive and
effectiveness – NGA.

Proffer dollar information from transportation.

Looking forward

Decisions on Dulles Rail Phase II.

We need to look at how to improve the project now while
we have the chance or we risk the chance of doing harm
to our economic engine.

We seem to be taking the “it doesn’t matter we are
going to pass it approach” rather than the “we have to
do everything we can do to have the best deal on the
table approach.”

Not aware of any county efforts to ensure a voluntary
PLA, look at alternative financing sources - etc.

Executing a Long-Term Plan for I-66

Made some good progress – this year will be important
as the phased EIS is completed and we look to
solutions.

Visioning a Long-Term Plan for the Fairfax County Parkway.

The Parkway is one of our main streets.

We need to make sure it does not get as congested as
I-66 before we make plans.

Working with VDOT and DOT to look at visioning

Connected Rapid Transit.

Study is underway on the interconnected mass transit
vision.

This makes a lot of sense and is a cost effective way
to get people out of their cars and into transit.

Protecting Our Suburban Neighborhoods

We tend to focus a lot on urbanization and TOD but we need to
remember what still makes Fairfax great is its suburban
neighborhoods and schools.

We need to continue to work to protect them.

Eliminating the Blight of Illegal Road Signs.

An area we need to move forward on in 2012

We are the only county in the state that tolerates this
blight.

Accotink TMDL

Need to take a hard line against the EPA on the Accotink
TMDL.

The EPA has overstepped its bounds and it will have an
adverse impact on both homeowners and businesses.

Lyme Disease

The 4 poster pilot is finally underway and hopefully the
results will lead to the next steps at fighting this
dreadful disease.

Prepare for the aging of our community

Revision of the 50+ plan, NVCF and Old Dominion Partnership
are preparing needs analysis, and then the Board will look
at revision of plan.

Need to look at programs like Home Share that will address
aging in place as well as provide affordable dwellings.

Relationship with the School Board

Big critic of the previous School Board primarily for their
lack of independence from the Superintendent.

Happy to see the new Board has found its independence and
the ability to question the Superintendent and staff.

Our schools have major challenges and it is critical that
they remain among the best in the nation.

Have already met with many of the new members and looking
forward to much improved relationships.

School facilities and renovating West Springfield High School.

Address ageing schools at joint retreat on the Feb. 25.

Miscellaneous

Hiring a New County Executive –clearly one of our big
challenges.

Pension Study.

Was disappointed at the study but still looking forward to
the answer to the question the Board asked.

Concussion Prevention.

Area I think we can be a leader in the nation – taking the
lead from the schools.

Making Affordable Housing Affordable for Taxpayers.

We will likely continue to disagree on this area.

Will never be in support of our scarce tax dollars going to
support housing for those making $80k to 120K or for the
need to house people in accommodations better than most of
the taxpayers that are funding them.

Want the Board and public to understand exactly what it is
costing the county and its residents in terms of lost tax
revenue, opportunity costs in addition to the hard dollars.

There is no such thing as a free lunch and devaluing 20% of
the residential property in Tysons will have a long term
impact on the tax base and our taxpayers.

Mandate Reform.

Heading to Richmond to testify for mandate relief.

This is only the first step for the Task Force.

We will be tackling the bigger challenge of the state
and local balance of funding and delivery of service
and hope to continue to get the Board’s support on
these efforts.

Mount Vernon District, Supervisor Gerald Hyland

Cell Towers

Where do we place them?

Distributed antenna system.

Challenge us to find places throughout the County to be
connected – throughout all of the County.

Planning Commission looking at this.

Stormwater Bond

Protect Huntington and BelleView/New Alexandria.

Either redevelop Huntington or build levee and pumping
station.

Marine Patrol

Need to retain in the FY 2013 Budget.

Richmond Highway Revitalization.

Need EDA, SFDC and Revitalization to collaborate in promotion
and marketing of Richmond Highway.

Lorton Arts Foundation

Need to continue investment we have made to support LAF.

Lorton

Fastest growing part of the County right now.

Have opportunity to make it a green energy corridor.

Want to encourage businesses to come here – want to make Lorton
better than it already is.

Meals Tax

Have brought this forward in the past.

Would help us keep our tax rate as low as it can.

Hunter Mill District, Supervisor Catherine Hudgins

Transportation

Continue critical transportation improvements through Hunter
Mill District to maintain the economic vibrancy and the high
quality of life.

Work to ensure the completion of Phase 2 of Dulles Rail project
by 2017.

Continue to encourage early implementation of TSAM and RMAG
improvements to provide connectivity for Tysons, Vienna and
Reston communities when Phase 1 arrives.

Create a multimodal bicycle and pedestrian system through
northern Vienna connecting the town of Vienna and Tysons
Corner.

Develop a plan for the delivery of adequate and accessible
services to the community members in need.

Support with funding the initiative to Prevent and End
Homelessness (Homeless Blue Print) by 2020.

Develop strategies for successful implementation of proposed
zoning ordinance amendments in support of Single Residential
Occupancy (SRO) or Residential Studio Units (RSU).

Determine the gaps in services and plan to address in the
Hunter Mill District.

Explore the integration and co-location of services in a
one-stop facility based on the Connections for Hope model.

Increase the coordination of family services between County
agencies, agency partners and public schools.

Work with Fairfax County Public Schools to ensure, together
with Fairfax County, that children from early childhood through
K-12 have the needed services that will contribute to social,
emotional and academic success.

Consideration of community school pilot – possible in
Tysons/urban school design.

Consider the value of replicating the South County
Opportunity Neighborhood program in North County and Hunter
Mill District.

Complete Reston for a Lifetime (aging in place) pilots with the
opportunity of expanding similar service further into Hunter
Mill District.

Parks and Recreation

Address deficit in recreational facilities.

Assist in implementing the South Lakes High School field
project, with community sports organizations and Park
Authority.

Install synthetic turf on the stadium field and develop a
practice field with turf and lights for expanded community use.

Master plan at Baron Cameron Park – 64 acre park now in PA
inventory.

Construct the Lake Fairfax Park skate park.

Planning and Development

Hunter Mill District must remain an economic driver for Fairfax
County.

Position the Herndon/Dulles Corridor for the integration of transit
facilities and transit oriented developments, while keeping the
character of the adjacent communities.

Complete planning for the Fairfax County North County property,
such that growth of current services (Reston Regional Library,
Embry Rucker Shelter, North County Human services, Police
Department, affordable dwelling units) will address the future
long-term needs of northern Fairfax County and Hunter Mill
District.

Lee District, Supervisor Jeffrey McKay

Happy to see the retreat here, especially in the south part of the
County.

Lee District

Competes with Mason District in terms of diversity – very
diverse district.

Three main parts of the district:

Central Springfield – revitalization district.

Transformation to economic engine is underway and
impressive.

Largely due to BRAC announcements.

Getting FBI would be a huge plus to the County.

Springfield Mall.

This will be the year they will break ground on the
mall hopefully.

The economic analysis shows this is the largest
retail opportunity in the country.

There is a strong sense of African-American history.

Franconia museum and the governmental center
capture much of the history of the district.

Parks and Meadows.

Blessed with Huntley Meadows Park and Lee District
Park.

Franconia-Kingstowne

Experiencing growing pains.

Richmond Highway Corridor – revitalization district.

Challenges.

Transportation growing pains.

Ramps at Mark Center.

No ramp would hurt transportation on 395.

Widening Mulligan Road

BRAC – overspill from Fort Belvoir onto other roads is
already being felt.

Widening of Route 1 is critical.

East-West connections between Route 1 and
Springfield.

Affordable Housing.

Be strategic in what we purchase.

Locations should be near jobs.

Continue to invest in aging and existing affordable
housing.

Citizen Access to the County.

Need to take advantage of technology to make government
easier.

Location of government center makes it difficult to
conduct County business or to testify at meetings.

Aging population and busy lives.

New revitalization opportunities.

Rest of County (ROC) has different needs than Tysons.

Staff is measuring success of zoning applications
versus Tysons and it’s a different model.

Need to have different economic engines in County, and
they are fundamentally different.

Need to develop new incentives to revitalize.

Emphasize benefits to revitalization.

Budget

Need to address County workforce morale.

Need to diverse tax base to keep living affordable.

Replacing the County Executive.

Parks

Positive response to Kingstowne Dam failure.

Facilitate park master plan.

Support for County human service nonprofits.

They have been through difficult time due to economy.

We can’t do what they do, and we need to invest
resources to ensure their success.

Include coaching and training in addition to budget.

County workforce

Pretty big gap between how some agencies communicate
with the Board of Supervisors.